Free Open All Hours (Carnival Magic 2) by Eden Royce Page B

had been less than cooperative. He had a semi-automatic holstered at his hip. and Leesa thought he was going to ask them to leave, but once Vol mentioned Tone’s name as the person who’d referred him, the man’s demeanor changed to one that was almost welcoming. They’d left with the lead, antimony, and his business card: it seemed he offered shooting and gun-handling lessons, group or private. Leesa pocketed the card. That might come in handy some day.
    The only thing missing from the list was a live moth. None of the pet stores had them, as moths weren’t a common food for their lizards and chameleons. “We’ll have to wait until the sun sets,” Leesa said. “Surely, there will be a few outside near those woods.”
    “I’m sure. We’ve got everything else.” Vol looked at her, searching her face. “Are you okay?”
    She was not okay. Leesa was about to participate in a strange ritual -- ritual was the only word she could think of -- that might or might not work. If it didn’t, she’d be stuck as a hybrid, part human and part animal. But at least she’d have someone to fall back on. The shifters she’d met so far, Vol included, had been kind and helpful. The thing that was eating at her and what she couldn’t confide in anyone else was what would happen if the spell worked?
    Returned to her regular self, would she then return to her job? Her family wasn’t too much of a concern: a telephone call to her mother weekly and one to her sister once a month was hardly a hardship. She could forget all about this experience if she wanted to. But was that what she wanted? Sure, being cursed was something she could do with forgetting, but this was the most at home she’d felt in… possibly ever.
    Could she convince Vol of that? Would he want her after the debacle in the woods? She bit her lip. Would she still want him? His strength was a fierce thing to behold and it initially frightened her. But her cat, now curled up inside of her and purring, felt safe with the big man. She also felt a little bad about the amount of time he was spending away from his business. Although Tone seemed pleased about the extra hours and pay. Even the way Vol touched her, with tender intensity, was something she never expected: passion with love and the confidence to let her make her own decisions.
    Even about him. She knew he’d never force the issue; that was more her ex-husband’s territory. Shaun had always tried to convince her he was right. If she wasn’t swayed immediately, he’d go into attorney mode and present her with a stream of weighty “logic” -- really his own opinions dressed up with statistics. She saw through them each time and early on, she would have argued right back, stalling the decision and draining her of energy in the process. Later, she would save her energy for side projects at work and extra hours, putting more distance between them. Looking back now, she should have been stronger and faced the issue head-on. Or ignored her mother when she’d said it was about time she got married.
    Thankfully, Shaun had initiated the divorce and didn’t want anything from her. He didn’t want to give her anything either, which was just fine with Leesa.
    “Leesa?”
    “Huh? Oh, sorry…I was a million miles away there.” She rubbed a hand over the back of her neck, kneading the muscles there.
    “I could tell.” He shifted the bag of goods from one hand to the other, taking her trembling hand in his freed one. “Look, let’s head upstairs. You can get a little rest and maybe tell me what’s going on.”
    She let him lead her up to his apartment above the diner, knowing that she didn’t want rest or time to reflect. What she wanted was to forget what was coming. Tip had been closed mouthed about what the spell reversal entailed, so she assumed it was something that could injure her or worse. The fear of the unknown could be crippling and she didn’t want to give into it. She wanted -- no, needed -- a